CUTTING mode for the next five weeks (I don't count the week immediately pre-competition, since that will be the "peak" week, specific for me re 7-day "diet-down" re competition), with the goal to get to 7% bodyfat (or as low as physiologically possible - and this time I AM going to do it!)

Re physique, I need to:
* Maintain the muscle mass gained over the last ~7 weeks in my back and especially my deltoids and arms
* Lose the 4-5 inches gained in my glutes and thighs (I can afford to lose muscle mass here)

Re competition, I need to work on:
* Posing, so that my Quarter Turns and T-Walk are the best possible to highlight my physique
* Stage Presence and being confident, acting like I am the sexiest thing there and know it (being a tomboy by nature, this - next to dieting - is going to be the hardest thing for me to do)

** 2-a-day trainings on 4-5 of these days, with the second session at least 20 minutes - posing practice (to start when I get under 10% bodyfat) at the end of that session.
*** Either Saturday or Sunday to be my Day Off.

However, it is also highly likely that I will label my days as Day 1 to day 6 and NOT schedule in my weekly Day Off, but take it once a week when required, and continue on with training from where I left off before it.

With resistance training, I use lower reps - not just so that I can lift heavier, but because lower reps at a heavy weight for me personally means improved strength, maintenance mass, and more ease with fat loss. I always lift as heavy as I can for the reps I set out to do each session, and I use 30 seconds to 1 minute recovery between sets/supersets/trisets/giant sets.

I generally do not do any specific work for my legs as my lower body overwhelms my upper body - if I train legs, I gain muscle mass despite what I do and more muscle in my legs is NOT what I want or need. ANY Legs work (i.e. Full-Body days) I deliberately use lighter weights for.

As much of my cardio as possible is going to be done RUNNING, since my body responds best re fat loss to high running (or cycling) mileage.

From 14 March:

Monday***: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min + Shoulders/Hamstrings

Tuesday***: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min + Arms/Abs

Wednesday***: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min

Thursday***: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min + Back/Chest

Friday***: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min + Full-Body

Saturday: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min

Sunday: Day Off

*** Every first and second week - 2-a-day trainings on 3-5 of these days, with the second session at least 20 minutes.
Every third week - training block once daily.

25 April to 1 May:

Week OFF RESISTANCE training, cardio on 3-5 days

From 2 May:

Monday: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min + Full-Body

Tuesday: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min + Full-Body

Wednesday: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min + Upper Body

Thursday: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min

Friday: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min + Shoulders/Arms/Abs

Saturday: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min

Sunday: Day Off

From 23 May:

Monday: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min + Shoulders/Hamstrings

Tuesday: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min + Arms/Abs

Wednesday: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min

Thursday: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min + Back/Chest

Friday: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min + Full-Body

Saturday: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min

Sunday: Day Off

From 4 July:

Monday: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min + Shoulders/Hamstrings

Tuesday: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min + Arms/Abs

Wednesday: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min

Thursday: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min + Full-Body

Friday: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min + Shoulders/Arms/Abs

Saturday: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min

Sunday: Day Off

Image courtesy of Ray Scott

NUTRITION

My nutrition does not play as much of a role as my training does in my conditioning. However, I know what works for my body, what I am sensitive to, and what I feel better eating, and I HAVE to stop or minimize the foods that I am sensitive and have intolerances to, since my body can no longer handle the weekly fluctuations of 10-15 pounds gain and then loss - sometimes over only a few days - in scale weight. I am working on making it better, so that my nutrition COMPLIMENTS my training and works WITH my body, instead of constantly making everything more difficult. I AM going to conquer my issues with nutrition by the end of my competition preparation!

Even though I will be calorie cycling, with 5-6 meals daily, 2-3 hours apart, LISTENING to my body on a daily basis and adjusting my nutrition (as I do my training) as required, I am going to be following my own modification of Ryan's modified Paleo Style Diet with no dairy, wheat, oats, soy, corn, peanuts, or legumes. Basmati rice, kumara (i.e. sweet potato), and fruits are going to be my sources of carbohydrates, alongside good fats of Naturally More peanut butter, and protein primarily from chicken, liquid egg whites, fish, and my Muscle Gels.

I drink 1-2 UK galleons (a UK galleon is 4.54 litres) of water a day, with the only other liquid that I consume re drinks being herbal or green tea.

Go Rosie!. Excellent work so far. Keep it up!. Really great to see the all the planning that goes into your routine. Oh yeah, not bad to see the end result either!.

"Those who fail to plan, plan to fail."

I'm not sure who first said that quote but I think it goes perfectly for what you have accomplished here so far. Keep going the way you are and I believe you will not only reach your goal but exceed your expectations!.

Go Rosie!. Excellent work so far. Keep it up!. Really great to see the all the planning that goes into your routine. Oh yeah, not bad to see the end result either!.

"Those who fail to plan, plan to fail."

I'm not sure who first said that quote but I think it goes perfectly for what you have accomplished here so far. Keep going the way you are and I believe you will not only reach your goal but exceed your expectations!.

Thanks, bud

I'm hoping so! I have one thing now that I did not have when I was cycling, and that is a support network - it definitely makes a difference, and I now hold myself accountable to more than just myself!

Sweet I'm in, Rosie you are an inspiration and invaluable to this board!

Ryan! Nice to see you in here. Am is good to me - you can see why I call it my "home" board

Originally Posted by p5sky

I love your dedication and intensity! This stack ROCKS!!! I still need to get in on the PES lineup, but I have used most of the others . . . . but not all at once!!!!

Thanks. It does indeed - that's why it's my favourite and why many of these products are in my "top" supplement list. You should definitely try PES' products when you get a chance - you will not be disappointed. As far as how "big" my stack is, remember that I HAVE used every single product here standalone before, as well as stacked with all of the products listed

"If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee

Sleep - Time and Quality: Waking at the right time ~0430, but went back to sleep - like yesterday - for almost as long as I'd slept initially, giving me ~8 hours sleep. I NEED to get up at 0430 (I can go back to bed after am training if I have to)!

Mood/Aggression: Reflective. Had some good news today. Some unexpected occurrences as well.

Energy: Had energy right up until ~1900, where I think I passed out briefly for ~20 minutes before I was rudely woken up.

Mental Focus and Clarity: There for most of the day. Now, after pm training, I am going to be wide awake for a while (doesn't help going to sleep at ~0130 when I want to get up at ~0430).

Stress: High.

Libido: Mind has been on other things today.

Joints: Left wrist was in extreme pain during the Push-Ups in my pm resistance session today - almost as bad as when I started back training after I broke it. Was NOT a happy camper with that.

Endurance: Good.

Strength: Now that I have someone there when pm training who I can ask to put the DB into my hands for some of the exercises (since I can't 'swing up' DB over ~35 pounds by myself - even though I can do the exercise fine once I have them in the starting position, and certainly not with my wrist the way it is), my strength is on the rise again with the exercises that I have since I have been in the US been going lighter with.

Pump: Not as strong as in previous days. However, post-meals, it is.

Vascularity: Strong through my anterior deltoids and forearms - and this is withOUT even a brief ~10-minute 'warm-up' pre-weights!

Quality of Training: 3-mile run was good. Outside. Still a bit of ice in places, but it's gone for the most part. Windy, but that's better than running on an indoor track with stifling air. Pace was on the slower side - because of the extra mass I am carrying and not being as fit as I was - but it will get better . . . Resistance sessions on Chest/Abs day will always be done in my pm training session - it's really the only session with exercises that I require aid with some of the DB exercises in getting the DB up. Session was good this evening. Surprised that strength on Incline DB Bench Press was not too far off what I was doing back in NZ . . .

Recovery: I definitely notice that doing double resistance sessions takes a bit out of me. Also because I am just getting back into Maintenance training makes a difference, and by next week, my body should have settled somewhat into it.

Appetite: Got the munchies terrible bad ~1600, and in two hours I ate more food and calories than any competitor who was preparing and dieting for competition would consume in a WEEK! That's DEFINITELY got to STOP!

Body Composition and Look: I have to do in five weeks what Ava Cowan did in five MONTHS (in 2009)! I can do this, though, I CAN!

Other Notes: I have a photoshoot two days before my competition, so preparing for that as well. Looking forward to it - going to be exciting times!

Competition Notes: Posing Practice is likely to start next week or the one after. I'm going to do it after my pm training session in the weights room, since it's pretty abandoned between 2100-2130, and then I won't feel like such a goof trying to do it when others are training - although I need to get RID of this feeling, since on stage I have to lose my self-consciousness and feel and act like a GODDESS.

"Stop viewing discipline as something you are forced to do to succeed, rather view it as something you want and need to do to experience all the wonders life has to offer. This small shift will not only make a huge difference to the results you will enjoy but you will be far happier and what was discipline before becomes routine and effortless success." - Guy Francis

Sleep - Time and Quality: Not going to sleep until ~0215, getting ~7.5 hours sleep.

Endurance: Fine.

Strength: Strength was great, actually

Pump: Some.

Vascularity: Strong.

Quality of Training: Resistance session was good. Felt good to be going back to body-part splits . . . Post-Weights Cardio was a mix and match of things. I started my boxing on a heavy bag, but without bag gloves or wraps, my knuckles got pretty beaten, so moved to doing a few suicides . . .

Recovery: Figured out how to plan my 2-a-day resistance sessions to allow for optimal recovery.

Other Notes: After this week, I will have an idea of how my body responds to training like this again, and make a few adjustments to better optimize training quality and recovery. It feels good to be BACK!

Strength: Now that I have someone there when pm training who I can ask to put the DB into my hands for some of the exercises (since I can't 'swing up' DB over ~35 pounds by myself - even though I can do the exercise fine once I have them in the starting position, and certainly not with my wrist the way it is), my strength is on the rise again with the exercises that I have since I have been in the US been going lighter with.

Man do I know how that can be a pain in the ass. I have trouble when they get in the 200's...

Man do I know how that can be a pain in the ass. I have trouble when they get in the 200's...

Glad you have someone to help you out Rosie!

200's or 20's (I know you can handle more than a measly 20 pounds)?

Yeah, it helps knowing that I HAVE to be at the gym for a second time 4-5 nights a week because someone else will be there as well - good way to keep me on track with the 2-a-day sessions, as if I do 2-4 hours in the morning, I can not feel like training later on. Aiming for 3-4 hours training total 5-6 days a week, one day off, and another lighter volume but intense day of under an hour.

Sleep - Time and Quality: Was still wide awake at 0230 - sleeping schedule not getting off to the best of starts. Tomorrow I am getting up at ~0430 regardless, period, no matter what time I go to bed and sleep, because I HAVE to get back into a schedule! I do better when I am on routine.

Mood/Aggression: Feel good after training.

Energy: Definitely there.

Mental Focus and Clarity: I am focused. Reassessed everything, figured out the best plan of action.

Stress: Decreased somewhat, based on today's decisions.

Libido: High.

Joints: Left wrist clicks and cracks on and off, but there is barely any pain now.

Endurance: Fine.

Pump: In legs!

Vascularity: Blue lines just under my skin.

Quality of Training: First time back doing this kind of HIT session. Thoroughly enjoyed it. My face was bright red, like I'd been sunburnt badly at the end of it, which was a surprise, since my face hasn't been so red during training in a LONG time - in fact, it usually goes WHITE with intense training! It felt great to be pushing my body like that again!

Recovery: Yesterday I was shattered, but today I was fresh. I will probably feel the effects of today's training tomorrow if I do.

Appetite: Working on getting under control - it's been off the wall the last couple of weeks. Even Sean commented yesterday that I've been worse than usual, and for someone who calls me the "human garbage disposal" that's something, LOL (NOT laughing, though).

Body Composition and Look: 127.8 pounds at 11.6% bodyfat. So, a minimal decrease of 0.1% bodyfat. My body is still recomping, with a gain of 1.1874 pounds of lean body mass (and also 0.0126 pounds of bodyfat). Whilst a recomp is good, right now it's not really desirable.

Competition Notes: Knowing what the last couple of weeks have been like, I made the decision yesterday to be honest with myself and my ability to achieve the size I need to be in the timeframe that I have for the competition on 16 April, once I knew my body statistics re my figure today. Yes, I have gained a good amount of muscle mass in my upper body over the last eight weeks, with an extra inch in my deltoids and arms, and two inches in my back. However, for those gains, I have added a further FOUR inches to both my hips/glutes and thighs - all of which I need to LOSE. Kicker: I want to lose the extra mass and girths in my lower body withOUT sacrificing any of the muscle mass that I have gained in my UPPER body. A very hard thing to do. Hard, but not impossible. Definitely not realistic in 5-6 weeks though, since I know I can lose ~1cm a week re girths in my lower body with perfect nutrition and training, and I need to lose 11-13cm (at least, to fit into my posing suit)! The next competition I had planned for 2011 was the INBF Southwestern Natural Championships on 16 July - this is ~18 weeks away, which is a more realistic timeframe to lose the lower body mass and girths, whilst maintaining as much of the upper body muscle as I can. Therefore, I have decided to forego the April competition and make the July competition my first of the year - the longer competition preparation will ensure that I can bring in the best physique possible re leanness and size. However, this is not to say that I can be slack about getting back into a routine, or with nutrition and training - I have a photoshoot 14 April and several more throughout April and May, so I still HAVE to get lean and into shape! I am still going to do my best to get as lean as I can in the next 5-6 weeks, but if I don't lose all of the lower body size that I need to for competition before the photoshoots, it's not as big of a deal - and be better in the long term in being able to maintain the leanness that I want to.

I DO need to be pushed, Chris! Which is why Sean has permission to pick me up and drop me unceremoniously on the floor if I do not get up when woken up at 0430 (Monday to Friday; I might give myself permission to "sleep in" on the weekend )! And why I have to be at the gym at ~2200 Monday to Friday!

"Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all. " - Norman Vincent Peale

Energy: Definitely there, especially post-am weights, which was a surprise.

Endurance: AMAZING!

Strength: Excellent.

Pump: Very high through deltoids.

Vascularity: Good.

Quality of Training: HIIT Run was great - definitely love running outside more than on an indoor track or treadmill. Weather was like a crisp Christchurch morning - nice. Was surprised at my pace, honestly, given what my running on the indoor track at the gym has been like. Had the energy for more efforts - so going to be returning to my higher efforts from now on . . . Resistance training was great. Deep burn and icy feel through my deltoids during Behind-the-neck Military Press - some nerves being affected there, which is normal. Hit up 18 sets . . . Post-Weights Cardio was the BIGGEST surprise I have had in ages, and definitely the most unexpected during training in at least a YEAR! Given the fact that I had ALREADY completed a HIIT Run outside with half of it uphill pre-weights, I was not expecting to be going very fast at all POST-weights. I covered the distance in the FASTEST time I have EVER done in the whole entire time I have been in the US, and at a pace I would have found difficult to maintain over that distance when I AM my usual fitness! Definitely pleased, but also confused. Freak one-off? We'll see soon enough . . .

Recovery: Not noticing anything yet re feeling tired.

Appetite: Trying something new but still to plan re nutrition - a modification on intermittent fasting (thanks, Nick), with the bulk of my calories and carbohydrates in the meal/s (if double sessions that day) post-training, maintaining the food consumed in the modification of the Paleo Diet (as noted in post #1). Hoping that this will FINALLY allow me to CONQUER my disciplinary issues with food and my lifetime of an endless appetite and excessive eating!

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." - Frank Herbert, Dune - - Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear

Joints: Left wrist has been aching a little, but it is not excruciating as it has been.

Endurance: Great.

Strength: Increasing the weighs with some exercises, seeing that my strength is still gaining.

Pump: Strong.

Vascularity: Not as strong as it has been, but decent.

Quality of Training: Did something a little different today - starting with resistance training, going to a brief stint of cardio, then back to more weights, finishing with cardio. It was good - an interesting way of changing things up and keeping motivation going . . . Going to work my lateral delts in tonight's session, since I passed out last night close to when I was supposed to do my pm training session . . .

Recovery: My hamstrings are FEELING it from yesterday!

Body Composition and Look: I can see my top two abs - needs to be a whole lot BETTER!

"Sometimes in life you want to be different than you normally are. Step into the box of unknown. We all have insecurities, even me, we rise above when we challenge ourselves and dare to explore." - Monica Brant

Sleep - Time and Quality: ~6 hours sleep. Still not going to sleep until the time I want to be GETTING UP - which is annoying and frustrating to say the least (training in the evening is not exhausting me and having me ready to fall into bed asleep as I thought it might, but keeping me WIDE AWAKE)! GOT to get back into SCHEDULE!

Other Notes: Another adjustment to my training schedule (changes reflected in post #1), since I'm finding that I need to have a day between every 2-3 days of weights, particularly if I am doing 2-a-day resistance sessions. Adjustments as below (starting next week):

Day 1***: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min + Shoulders/Hamstrings

Day 2***: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min + Arms/Abs

Day 3***: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min

Day 4***: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min + Back/Chest

Day 5***: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 min + Full-Body

Day 6: Cardio 20 min + Stretch 20-30 min

*** 2-a-day trainings on 3-5 of these days, with the second session at least 20 minutes.

Once a week when required is a Day Off, training continued afterwards from where I left off before it.

"Live life, be creative and have EXPECTATIONS. It is those very expectations that will inspire you to extend yourself and drive you to achieve your full potential. Limited expectations will deliver limited results, whilst HUGE expectations will deliver the results you deserve." - Andrew Horton

Quality of Training: Back resistance session was ok. Pushed myself to go heavier . . . Post-Weights Cardio was good - definitely need to do more running. OUTSIDE is BETTER and needs to be done PRE-weights! . . .

Recovery: My delts and arms are still recovering.

Other Notes: My thoughts and prayers are with those I love back home. The world is changing, and I wonder what home is going to be like when I go back.

It's a great speech, T - I actually used part of it as my "Quote of the Day" on 27 February! One of the best - probably the most motivational speech ever! Powerful. THAT is a man who does not, can not, and will not ever give up!

Other Notes: This week has still not happened as planned, with only four resistance sessions instead of five, and training not quite yet at Maintenance, so I am just letting it go instead of dwelling on it and depressing myself, moving forward and NOT going to let next week continue like this!

Rosie, as far as "Other notes:". I say whats done is done. Just keep hitting it hard, forget the negative and focus on the positive. Those who dwell on the past are doomed to repeat it!.

Keep on Truckin Rosie!

Sure is. As Edward Fitzgerald said, "The moving finger writes; and having writ moves on: nor all thy Piety and Wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it." Regret won't do anything, so all I am going to take from it is the experience, knowing what needs to be changed for me to be successful at what I want to achieve.